Catalina Island: snorkling, strand, frokost og Chavón-floden

This was a great tour in which we did snorkel and did see many fishes. The other tours we did in the DR for snorkeling before had disapointed, but this one did not. The tour operator is also very good and efficient. This saves a lot of time and definetely worth the premium compare to other cheaper alternative. We had a wonderful day and I will recommend this tours to friends in the DR.

Two superb snorkeling stops with Christian's team, Manuel, Captain Pin, and Grégory. Excursion that departs before the competition. At both sites, we were alone and stayed quite a long time. Magnificent Catalina Island. As with Saona, excellent Dominican meal on the beach. Relaxation followed by a walk on the Chavon River. Personally, I would have preferred to do a bit more snorkeling and have a shorter trip on the river. But this shows us another side of the Dominican Republic.

Honestly, thank you to "Dominican attitude" in Bayahibe. This agency deserves to be known. They are top-notch, we had a perfect guide who spoke French and was very interesting. We were able to go snowboarding and arrived on Catalina Island, which is fabulous; we ate very well and swam in beautiful water. For each activity, we had about forty minutes or even more for snowboarding, and on Catalina, we spent almost 2 hours and 30 minutes. Everything was perfect, then a stroll on the river. Speed and big waves in sight on the boat to go there and back to Bayahibe. It was great. Very good atmosphere on the boat; the team was top-notch, kind, and not overwhelming... I really recommend the agency as well as this activity, which was perfect in every way! Just remember that not everyone eats meat, and when we asked if there was fish, we were told it was extra; that's a bit unfortunate, but the buffet was well-stocked with vegetables, rice, pasta, and potatoes, so we still ate plenty; however, a small piece of fish would not have been too much... But our outing was so enjoyable that this is not what we remembered. We just want to clarify, LOL! Finally, thank you to Viator because this site is full of excursions that are truly worthwhile and are very well organized and superb with good agencies. We are in a hotel where they offer the same outings, and honestly, we have had many people around us who returned very dissatisfied with the services given the price they paid. So we feel quite lucky to have gone through Viator, which has an excellent quality-price ratio regarding the agencies that offer services on this site. Keep existing and finding gems for us all over the world!

Lots of great snorkelling and a fun time on the boat. We would definitely suggest this over the other popular island for snorkeling. Water was crystal clear and the island had some cool and interesting rocks for sale.

Dear team Yesterday's boat trip was really a great story! The passage through the Chavon River in particular was an absolute highlight – impressive and full of adventure feeling. Big praise also to the guys on board: great service, attentive, easygoing and just great. Snorkeling in strong waves was definitely not for beginners – but that’s what makes it exciting. And the speedboat ride? Pure adrenaline! Not for the faint-hearted, but a real experience. Thank you for this unforgettable day – it was perfectly organized and really fun!

We were deeply saddened by the complete lack of respect for the ocean that the boat guide and his crew had. At no point before the snorkelling did he mention to the people on board not to touch the coral, so as soon as he let people off the boat to go swimming people started treading all over it and kicking bits off. It can take seconds to break and hundreds of years to recover. We even asked the boat guide to please tell people to stop touching it (which is his job not ours) and he said he would. But then he never bothered at all. What message does that send? On top of that the captain wore a top with divisive political messaging (inappropriate on a paid, professional tour) and people on board smoked repeatedly near the seating area without being asked to move downwind. Smoke constantly blew directly over passengers who couldn’t avoid it, and again the guide never asked smokers to move to the downwind end of the boat, which would have been an easy fix and far more considerate. There was even a kid on board getting smoke blown on him and no one cared to think about him. Overall we left feeling frustrated, angry and really upset. The crew literally earn their livelihood from the ocean and it’s concerning that they didn’t enforce simple rules to protect it or to ensure basic courtesy for other guests. We really hope management uses this constructive feedback: please brief guides to tell guests not to touch the coral and to request smokers move downwind. We cannot recommend this tour and we hope they improve in the future.

I am currently wintering in the Dominican Republic in the small town of Bayahibe. I’ve been here since Jan 11, 2026 and staying through April. I’m here solo and renting an efficiency apartment in the Residential Paraiso (paradise). The apartment complex is a beautiful place and the pool is amazing. There’s also a small restaurant/bar in the outdoor lobby. The town of Bayahibe is small and completely walkable. It’s very busy with tourists coming to scuba dive and snorkel at the nearby islands of Catalina and Saona. The beach is beautiful and the water is crystal clear and refreshing. There are numerous restaurants and bars at the beach with attentive waiters who are friendly and eager to assist with tables and chairs for the opportunity to sell food and drinks. While there are vendors that come by to sell ice cream, fruits and vegetables, and cheese, they are not pushy or rude. Their products are actually very good and not overly expensive. The price of living in the Dominican Republic has gone up in the last few years and isn’t really much cheaper than prices in the USA. The balance of supply and demand has increased the costs. Many people from all over the world are coming here and that’s causing the demand to over place the supply. I’m surprised that the local population doesn’t speak much English but they tend to be very friendly and happy to have tourists visiting as it’s a major part of their economy. Due to that there are many policemen and security guards around the town. It’s proven to be very safe.

Very friendly bunch of people. We took a snorkelling expedition out to Catalina Island, had lunch on the beach. They have clean boats and take you right out to where you want to be. The staff were helpful and fun the whole day. Included was taxi service too and from our hotel.

Marina and her team are amazing. We had privatized a boat for the day and everything was unforgettable in addition to snorkeling where we felt each time like in an aquarium, we had the chance to see dolphins. To do and to redo. It is the most beautiful memory of our trip to Rep Dom.

Very good experience. We had a great time. The staff always worried that we would enjoy and be fine. It was a lot of fun.